Why we put the clocks forward in spring - and what time they change tonight

It's nearly that time of the year again. The clocks will go forward tonight, officially bringing us into British Summer Time (BST).

The change will see daylight hours get longer as we say goodbye to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which won't return until later in the year. As always, the clocks change on the last weekend of March, which is this weekend.

In the early hours of Sunday, the clocks will move forward by one hour. The change takes place at 1am so clocks will need to be changed to 2am as the hour hits.

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Unfortunately, that means one less hour in bed tonight, but on the bright side, at least you get more daylight in the evenings from now on. If you have an analogue clock you will need to remember to change it yourself.

But, if you have a smartphone then it will usually adjust the time for you automatically - as long as your phone is connected to the internet via data or WiFi.

The practise of putting the clocks forwards in spring and backwards in autumn has been going on for a very long time. It started with the idea that it was good to get people out of their homes and outside to enjoy the daylight hours.

The idea was first campaigned by American founding father Benjamin Franklin who argued for the change of clocks during his stay in Paris in 1784. He believed that if people got out of bed earlier, they would be able to enjoy the extra daylight.

It actually took over a century, however, for the idea to catch on. In 1916, the change was implemented in the UK when the first Daylight Saving Bill was brought forward in the House of Commons.

But these days, not everyone is in favour of the yearly ritual. The European Parliament had voted to